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The technology needed to cut the world’s greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent by 2050 already exists, according to a joint statement by eleven of the world's largest engineering organisations.

The statement was presented on Friday 23rd September to the South African Deputy High Commissioner ahead of December’s COP17 climate change talks in Durban.

The statement says that generating electricity from wind, waves and the sun, growing biofuels sustainably, zero emissions transport, low carbon buildings and energy efficiency technologies have all been demonstrated. However they are not being developed for wide-scale use fast enough and there is a desperate need for financial and legislative support from governments around the world if they are to fulfil their potential.

Dr Colin Brown, Director of Engineering at the UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers - one of the eleven organisations supporting the statement - said:

"While the world’s politicians have been locked in talks with no output, engineers across the globe have been busy developing technologies that can bring down emissions and help create a more stable future for the planet.

"We are now overdue for government commitment, with ambitious, concrete emissions targets that give the right signals to industry, so they can be rolled out on a global scale."

The statement calls for:

* A global commitment at Durban to a peak in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, followed by substantial reductions by 2050;

* Governments to ensure that green policies do not unfairly and unintentionally act to the detriment of one particular industry or country;

* Intensive effort to train and retrain workforces to ensure we have the right skills for the new industries that will spring up around green technologies;

* A heavier emphasis to be placed on boosting energy efficiency, which the eleven organizations say is 'the best available measure' to bring down emissions in the short and medium term.

The joint statement is the product of a landmark biennial conference held last week at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London. The Future Climate 2 conference brought together speakers from government, academia and engineering institutions from around the world to discuss the technologies needed to combat climate change.

The eleven engineering institutions that signed up to the joint statement have been listed below. Collectively they represent over 1.2 million engineers spanning four continents.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) (UK)
The Institution of Engineers (India)
The Association of German Engineers (VDI) (Germany)
The Japanese Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) (Japan)
The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers (APESMA) (Australia)
The Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) (Denmark)
The Civil Engineer Organisation of Honduras (CICH) (Honduras)
The Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers (Sweden)
The Norwegian Society of Engineers (NITO) (Norway)
The Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers (TEK) (Finland)
The Union of Professional Engineers (UIL) (Finland)